Fruit tree courses and upcoming sale

Andy Howard of the Heritage fruit tree company will be coming to the EWAA site on 11th March with fruit trees and bushes for sale, plus relevant paraphernalia. More details will be available for pre-ordering soon.

Meantime he is running two courses: 25th Feb on pruning, and 4th March on grafting. Details below.

Winter Pruning Course – Saturday 25-Feb-17 from 10.00 to 3.30pm

Our Winter Pruning Course in January sold out quickly, so here’s our second edition for 2017.

Join expert Orchard Arborist Andy Howard for a day’s training course, to learn the theory and practice of Winter Pruning.

Learn the theory, skills and practice of winter pruning for fruit trees such as apple and pear. Discover the different methods and techniques used to shape fruit trees, control their size and influence their productivity. Find out when and how to apply these to suit different circumstances and different types of top fruit.

Practice the theory on real fruit trees, to gain these skills yourself and help get the confidence to apply them in your own orchard, garden or community orchard. Or, why not help a neighbour get their fruit trees into shape?

Grafting Course – Saturday 4th March 17 from 10.00 to 3.00pm

Join expert Nursery man and Grafter  Andy Howard for a day’s training course, to learn the theory and practice of grafting.

Learn the theory, skills and practice of grafting fruit trees. Find out about the different methods and techniques used to join up scionwood (the one to two year-old wood of the variety you want to grow for its fruit) with the rootstock (a standardised variety with known characteristics for vigour, ultimate tree size and resistance to disease) to create a new fruit tree.

Practice the theory with hands-on work, to create two new fruit trees that you can take home to grow on and plant out, in your garden or orchard. Scionwood from a choice of heritage varieties will be provided by Andy, along with different types of rootstock, so you can create customised fruit trees to suit your own requirements.



Both courses will be held at 27 Walton Avenue, Twyford, Adderbury, OX17 3JY. Free on-street parking is available.

The price for each course per person is £40 for members of the Mid Shires Orchard Group (MSOG) and
£50 for non-members. Non-members will receive a year’s membership to MSOG. A free light lunch and refreshments will be provided on the day.

Please email Andy at: johoward@metronet.co.uk, tel 0795000 6813 to find out more about the course, make payment and book your place

Time to get down to the shop – Onion sets, Garlic Cloves, Broad Beans, Seed Packets and more Manure for sale

We have now taken delivery of onion sets, garlic cloves and packets of seeds:

Broad Bean – Sutton Dwarf

Garlic – Picardy Wight, Vallelado

Onions – Sturon Globe, Red Karmen

Shallots – Red Sun

We also had another manure delivery – this time it’s next to plot 1 on the far road. We’ve had to review the price, so now it’s £2 per barrowload, but that’s still great value. Maximum 4 barrowloads per plot.

Rescheduled workparty this Saturday!

Thanks everyone who turned out on Sunday and did masses of work clearing the car parks!

As we had to cancel on Saturday due to the weather, there will be another workparty this Saturday 19th, from 10 -1. Meet at the shop or if you’re coming later seek us out at the car parks or edges. Bring tools, snacks if you want to, and enthusiasm.

Autumn work party, 12 -13 November

Our next work party will be on 12th November  at 10 -4, and 13th November 10 – 2, meeting at the shop. Please come along if you can  to help out with clearing of overgrown areas, litterpicking, general sprucing up of the site, etc. Committee members will be on site to organise volunteers and tea and refreshments will be available – contributions of cake etc are very welcome!
Please bring tools – secateurs, loppers, wheelbarrows, etc, if you can and dress for the weather. Children are welcome but they must be supervised.

We depend on our own volunteer labour to keep the EWAA site tidy and in working order. At this year’s AGM we agreed to change the work party arrangements so that we will now have one in the autumn and one in the spring instead of several smaller ones throughout the year.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Mushroom Compost in the shop

A limited supply of mushroom compost is now available in the shop at £4 per bag. Each bag is 50lb (approx 100 litres), and contains wood-free compost which has been used to grow organically produced mushrooms. Spent mushroom compost is one of the best soil conditioners going. It is rich in nutrients and adds humus to the soil, making it much more easily worked.

Talk on Soil Organic Matter

Message from Oxford and District Federation of Allotment Associations:

You are invited to an O&DFAA talk:

Soil Organic Matter: Why is it so important for your crops? Its sources, actions & reactions

by Chris Bird, M. Hort (RHS)

Lecturer in Horticulture, Sparsholt College, Hampshire

On Tuesday 15 November at 7.00pm in the Old Library at Oxford Town Hall

Admission free, all welcome

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